The Guardians of the Citadel
by Ataghan
Summary: This is a Sonic fanfic set back in the ancient echidna city. I don't think this has been done before, so I would love to see how you people like it. This follows an echidna named Celeborn, who is a Guardian, an elite warrior for the Maser Emerald.
1. The Guardians

Chapter 1  
  
The Guardians of the Citadel  
  
I am Celeborn, son of Sadoc. I am part of the Guards of the Citadel. What are they? Well, I have some free time, I'll tell you a story.  
  
My name is Celeborn Sunchaser. I am an echidna of the Citadel of the Master Emerald. What's that? I'm not going to be able to tell this story if you ask questions. But I tell you some background information.  
  
I am a red echidna, which was a bit unusual because most of the echidnas of the city were a purple shade, maybe a reddish violet. The princess, Tikal, was orange, which was also unusual. I, however, was not royalty, but I was of the upper class. I was a Guard of the Citadel, as I have told you. The Citadel of the Master Emerald, of course. Although, the citadel was more of a shrine, than a citadel, really. The citadel was a rounded pyramid configuration with stairs on one side. At the top, the cap of the pyramid was chopped off, to make a platform about 10 feet in diameter. There, in the center of the platform, was the Master Emerald, supported by a stone pedestal. There were seven columns surrounding the Master Emerald's shrine. Each topped with a Chaos Emerald. The columns sat in a pool of water. This was no ordinary water, though. When it rained, the water in the pool didn't mix with the water falling from the clouds. The rain sat atop the pool's water, and the pool's water never evaporated, it sat there, never getting dirty. Always a crystal color, with a bluish tint to it.  
  
I was a guard, never thought to really fight to protect the Master Emerald from anything; people usually just left it alone. They sometimes stopped to gaze at it, or say a prayer in front of it, but other than that, we were useless.  
  
No, I cannot believe I just said that. Useless? No, not at all. The Guardians of the Citadel were the elite warriors of the city. No one could match their fighting skills. But they were never used in war, if they were, this city would become a vast empire very fast. No, the Guardians were never used in war, because they were holy guards.  
  
The Master Emerald was the holiest thing in the city, if not the world. We were protectors, not fighters, not warriors. Even if we were to go fight, who would protect the Master Emerald? Not anyone can do it, it is only direct blood relatives. My father, Sadoc, was a Guardian, and so am I.  
  
Despite what you may think, Guardians don't just guard, they are also keepers of the peace. When there is a matter of utmost importance, then the Guardians investigate it. They are doing their duty to the Master Emerald, for they have devoted their lives to it. That is what we are here to do. To hold the divine beliefs of the Master Emerald to future generations and to protect it from any harm. It was our right and duty, or way of giving back to the gods for giving us such a beautiful city to live in. 


	2. Investigations

Chapter 2  
  
Investigations  
  
I was sitting in my house. There was a separate section of housing for the Guardians of the Citadel. The Guardians where given a mud hut, which was usually built for those a little poorer than the middle class of echidnas, the merchants, tradesmen, and artisans of the city. It's funny, we were the elite force of Guardians and we were given shambles of houses to live in. Well, they weren't shambles really, but they were very small. There was one bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen and eating area.  
  
Why? Like I told you before, we were the Guardians of the Master Emerald. We devoted our lives to keeping it sacred and holy, therefore, we have given up a luxurious lifestyle. But it didn't bother any of the Guardians much, even though we were as poor as peasants we were very highly regarded.  
  
But, Guardians probably wasn't the real term for us. We were more Peace Keepers than anything. When the rebellion started acting up, we investigated it. We were the police of big crimes and conspiracies.  
  
What do you mean 'How did we fight?' We fought with swords, being the weapons of choice. But we also used our fists and feet, too, because we were trained in martial arts. We used an assortment of weapons, ranging from staves, swords, martial arts, to bows and arrows. But we didn't use bows much, for echidnas were clumsy shots and not very good at aiming. The Guardians were better, but still, bad as far as the standard goes.  
  
So, I was sitting in my house, reading a book when Faru, also a guardian, knocks on the door.  
  
"Celeborn, we have an assignment." Faru wasted no time with greetings, as usual "The rebellion is on the offensive. They say that they are scheming to attack the temple, or the Citadel."  
  
I was shocked by this, the rebellion, lead by Nithak, was a group that wanted to overthrow the king, Takun. I had no idea they had anything to settle with the Master Emerald. Launching an attack against the Citadel was a bad idea, even as bad ideas go. First, you have to contend with the Guardians, us, which aren't going to be to happy when you are trying to attack the one thing they devoted their lives to.  
  
Second, if you harm the Master Emerald, and cannot restore it, then you have a problem. The Master Emerald neutralizes the power of the Chaos Emeralds, and keeps them from creating chaos across the land. The Chaos Emeralds hold immeasurable power, which no echidna had ever seen before. The Master Emerald is the one force that takes the power of the Chaos Emeralds and stores it inside the Emerald itself, however, not all that power can fit into the Chaos Emeralds, so the Master Emerald takes some of the power and stores it within itself. That makes it very powerful, and a perfect weapon of destruction to any that could control it. That is why it needed to be protected.  
  
"That is suicide! No echidna could control the Master Emerald and the seven Chaos Emeralds. What does Nithak think he is doing?" I asked Faru, but knowing he didn't have an answer.  
  
"I don't know, but we need to stop him. Master Kirael thinks that you and I alone can handle this, before it gets out of hand. But, if it does, there could be a war on our doorstep." Faru explained, gravely.  
  
"When do we leave?" I asked him.  
  
"When the sun rises tomorrow. I'll go over the plan with you then, get ready for a journey." Faru said, and went to his own house, three down from mine.  
  
Well, what did I do? I got ready. I packed all the essentials, like food and water, a sleeping bag and all the other usual stuff. Then I went into a closet, where I kept all my weapons. I grabbed my sword, Ataghan. It was a perfectly balanced sword, about four feet long. On the base of the blade it said "All for the Citadel." Which was the Guardian's slogan, short, sweet, and to the point. It was a red tempered blade, so it looked like it was heated. It struck fear into the opposition, which was what I was intending. I also grabbed two daggers and about twenty sherrikans, or throwing stars.  
  
I went to sleep that night thinking solely on the assignment at hand. I had fought the rebellion only once before and they were very, very skilled. But, what was Nithak planning? Why did he want to attack the Citadel? He couldn't possibly control the Master Emerald...could he? 


	3. Starting Off

Chapter 3  
  
Starting Off  
  
I woke up the next morning, still very tired. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night, because I was thinking at the task at hand. It was still dark when I had gotten up, so I ate a breakfast of toast and eggs. I then went to the Citadel with all my things, where I expected to wait for Faru, or have him already there.  
  
He was already there, but there were two people there. One, I could make out as Faru. The other could only be one echidna, he was blue with dark eyes. He always looked serious and rarely smiled. He was probably one of the most skilled and dangerous echidnas in the city, good thing he was on our side. He was the commander of all the Guardians, Master Kirael.  
  
"Ah, Celeborn, are you prepared?" Master Kirael asked me. I nodded my head "Ah, well, very good, very good. Now, you two are probably wondering what, exactly you are going to be doing. Well, I'll tell you, you are to go into the rebel's hideout, you know where that is, hmm? Yes, you have both been there before. Anyway, you are going to sneak in, and try to see what exactly they are planning to do. Now, you two are probably thinking 'How in hell are we going to do this?' Am I right?"  
  
We nodded our heads. We thought this was supposed to be a job for higher ranked Guardians, not Guardians that have just come out of apprenticeship, like Faru and I.  
  
"Well, this is your first assignment on your own, without your masters, right? Yes, I believe I am. So, it is true that important missions to test Guardians like yourselves get a special weapon. What might that be?"  
  
He went up to the steps of the Citadel and put on hand on the Master Emerald. And two Chaos Emeralds flew his way. The red one and the grey one, he grabbed them both and walked the stairs down.  
  
"These shall be your weapons." He threw the Chaos Emeralds toward us "You can use their power, you have been trained to do that, right? Ah, yes, I am right, of course I am or you wouldn't have passed the test from apprentice to Guardian. Okay, then be on your way, I have other matters to attend to." Master Kirael said, and then left us.  
  
"We get to use Chaos Emeralds? This will be a breeze." Faru said.  
  
"You know, I got very good comments in this portion of the test. And I can do it with flare. Watch." I said back to him. I threw up the Emerald and the tip landed on the tip of my finger "Chaos Control." I said, and I warped to fifty feet in front of me. I smirked and Faru chuckled.  
  
"Show off..." he said, simply and jokingly.  
  
Now, Faru was right. Oh, he was so right. I have been almost formal in telling this story haven't I? I think I have, but that isn't the real me. I am told I am a cocky, show offy person that gives literal meaning to the phrase "to add insult to injury". My thinking is if you were strong enough and skilled enough to beat your opponent on combat, then it is your right to make fun of them. After all, you worked harder then they did to get to the spot you are now, or else you wouldn't have beaten them. So, I'm cocky, is that a bad thing? The best part is that I can be cocky, I'm just that good. People think I am a little bit conceited, too, I don't think so, though.  
  
Anyway, putting my awesome display skill with the Chaos Emerald behind us, we set out to complete our assignment. 


End file.
